Dodge Momentum Index Falls 5% After 6 Straight Months of Gaining

The Dodge Momentum Index ended a six-month streak of gains in April, falling 5.1% to 133.8 from a downward-revised revised March reading of 140.9, according to Dodge Data & Analytics.

The institutional sector, the driver of previous gains in the index, dropped 12%, while the commercial segment remained almost flat at 0.1%.

Even with this reported setback in momentum, since early 2016, the index has gained more than 20% through the end of March 2017 — far surpassing the same period in 2014–2015, which saw only a 4% increase. Dodge economists said this trend indicates that construction through the rest of 2017 should continue its expansion.